Can’t find parking? How about a car that folds up?

Finding a parking space in downtown Seattle would never be a problem with this new electric “microcar,” called the Hiriko Fold.

The chassis on this two-seat bubble literally folds up, allowing it to fit into even tighter spaces (as if it wasn’t already compact enough). Worried you wouldn’t find parking on Capitol Hill? No sweat. Three Hirikos could squeeze into a standard parking space, according to renderings on the Hiriko website.

And each wheel can be controlled independently, so the car can be driven sideways and parked perpendicular to the curb.

Image 1of/2

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 2

Image 2 of 2

Rendering of the Hiriko Fold.

Rendering of the Hiriko Fold.

Can't find parking? How about a car that folds up?

1 / 2

Back to Gallery

Spun out of research by M.I.T., the Hiriko is designed for short trips around the city — something that might work best as a car-share option like a Zipcar and give a little more flexibility to people who rely on transit.

Short-distance car sharing with electrics could help bridge the gap between a commuter’s home and mass transit — the so-called first-mile problem — or from mass transit to the workplace, the last-mile problem.

“The first- and last-mile problem has been growing steadily during the last 50 years as cities expanded,” said Elizabeth Deakin, professor of city and regional planning and urban design at the University of California, Berkeley. “It’s often just too far to walk to a mass-transit station.”

The sticker price is $16,000, which is probably more than the average driver wants to spend for something so small. That’s why the Hiriko Driving Mobility Consortium, which is manufacturing the car, is marketing it to cities. Several are interested, including San Francisco, The Times reports.

The Hiriko’s battery reportedly is good for 75 miles on a charge. With a top speed of 31 mph, the Hiriko isn’t the type of car you’d drive on the highway.

Prototypes are reportedly on trial in European cities. Watching the video below will give you an idea of what it would be like to take one for a spin.